092515 city-school board advisory committee …city-school...presentation to the city-school board...
TRANSCRIPT
SaveOurSchoolParks.Org
Presentation to
The City-School Board Advisory Committee
September 25, 2015 Rick Duncan
Bendale BTI / David & Mary Thomson Site
SaveOurSchoolParks.Org
Lawrence Ave
Midland Avenue
Highbrook and Donwood PS
Bendale BTI School
Apartments and in-fill townhomes
David & Mary Thomson School
Bendale BTI / David & Mary Thomson Site
About 27 acres total.10 Acres are buildings
17 acres are open community greenspace
SaveOurSchoolParks.Org
The City of Toronto Official Plan
December 2010
Plan Policy 3.2.2.2
Keeping surplus schools for community service purposes will be pursued where the need for such facilities has been identified as a priority.
Where that is not feasible, alternate uses of closed schools must be compatible with the surrounding neighbourhood and should provide city residents with continued access to school playgrounds and playing fields.
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TDSB Board Meeting June 18, 2014
Partnership With City of Toronto re Infrastructure Funding for School Grounds
Therefore, be it resolved that the Director enter into discussions with City of Toronto staff and appropriate provincial government representatives to:
(i) develop options for generating sustainable school infrastructure funding, while preserving school sites as important educational assets for future generations; (ii) ensure that playing fields and green space are preserved;
(iii) generate funding to support infrastructure investment needed in Toronto District School Board schools to support the City’s Official Plan and significant population growth.
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City Council direction to the City-School Boards Advisory Committee
March 31, April 1 and 2, 2015Adopted as amended Item EX4.4 on Schools as Community Assets
1. Prioritize in its 2015-2016 work plan, the development of a new multilateral, consultative relationship for the City of Toronto, the School Boards and the Province of Ontario with respect to schools lands utilization and disposition that:
A. takes into consideration the full value of schools as community assets, in addition to their value as educational institutions;
B. provides a viable framework for retaining public ownership of former school properties when there is agreement among the parties that the site should be retained;
C. identifies alternative funding sources beyond municipal funding to keep schools as community assets;
SaveOurSchoolParks.Org
Proposed TDSB land use for school site• Yellow blocks to be filled
with 500 townhomes
• Red is new school costing $43MM
• Green area beside school will be an artificial turf football field with a fence around it.
• Green area above school will be a parking lot.
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Proposal to community from the TDSB and the City
April 15, 2015
City to spend $4.4MM of Section 37 money to buy 2.0 acres for 62 daycare spots!
Brad Duguid’s office:
“The best resolution possible.”
Michael Thompson’s conclusion:
“This is as good as it’s going to get.”
SaveOurSchoolParks.Org
What is a Park worth?
• Can you calculate the economic value to the city and it's residents of Greenspace?
• The increase in land values and tax revenues
• The desirability of a neighbourhood
• The reduction in social costs
• The ability for people in apartments to have a back yard
• The places where little kids play soccer, neighbours walk their dogs, and people can get fresh air and exercise
SaveOurSchoolParks.Org
Turns out you can!
SaveOurSchoolParks.Org
Impact Infrastructure has a software program that can value Greenspace
The Hidden Value of Public Assets Feb. 9, 2015Published by: Ben D. Rommelaere
An on-going debate between the cash-strapped Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the City of Toronto, and members of the community have shed new light on the importance of measuring the social and environmental value of publicly owned assets. At the center of this debate is a plan to sell underutilized schools like Bannockburn School and the two acres of green space adjacent to it.There is good news to this story however – it is possible to estimate the dollar value of these community benefits. In fact the Business Case Evaluator (BCE) not only makes it possible to uncover this value, it makes it easy. So what is the value of 2 acres of green space in the City of Toronto? Roughly $870K with a range from $510K to $1.45M.This is the value people get from the recreational opportunities, air quality enhancements, and property value uplift provided by the green space. The City also benefits from the green space – they collect more tax revenue from the higher property values. The chart below shows the division these benefits. SaveOurSchoolParks.Org
So what is this Park worth?
SaveOurSchoolParks.Org
So what is this Park worth?
17 Acres
x $435,000 per acre
= $7.395 Million!
SaveOurSchoolParks.Org
The impact on the Toronto?
• TDSB wants to sever 127 parks and sell them for development!
• The City gets no benefit from the sales.
• Neighbourhoods get no benefit from losing an asset.
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The Conclusions
• Parks are Community Hubs.
• Parks are Public Assets, paid for with Public Money.
• The only reason they were still zoned residential is because no ever thought they would be sold.
• TDSB is being held hostage by the province to sell assets to cover maintenance shortfall.
• Bill 444/98 does not capture the real value of assets being sold.
SaveOurSchoolParks.Org
The Action Required
• Parks are too valuable to the city to be sold.
• Parks must be removed from any TDSB assets being sold.
• Stop the TDSB from selling Bendale and Thomson and Save Our School Parks.
SaveOurSchoolParks.Org
